Adventure is Magic
by Blastronaut
Summary: PB sends Finn to respond to a distress call from the newly discovered "Horse Kingdom" only to discover it to have been ransacked by an evil force capable of killing everything from Ooo to Equestria. Things ensue. violence/language. My first story.
1. Prologue

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**Adventure is Magic**

**By Kent Roberts**

**Prologue:**

"What's up, Pweebles?" Finn asked brightly through his usual goofy grin. He was positively raring to go. He couldn't help bouncing up and down a little; he was so overloaded with energy.

"Settle down cutie, this one's real important," Princess Bubblegum instructed warmly. Her smile effectively masked her unease. After all the years Finn had been her champion, she still felt a panging mixture of guilt and concern every time she would have him do something that could potentially get him hurt. She always had.

"Finn we've picked up a call for help from a place we didn't even know existed. This could be really dangerous."

"Rhombus," muttered Finn in excitement. He loved the missions and quests the Princess would send him and his brother on. He lived for them. Thrills and danger were what he was all about. Adventure was his life.

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><p>"Someone will come for us, I promise," Twilight Sparkle consoled the little foal who buried her face in Twilight's neck, shaking with silent tears. Over Apple Bloom's head, Twilight could see Rainbow Dash on the other side of the cave, Spike clumsily trying to wrap her bleeding foreleg in a makeshift bandage. Dash seemed to be staring at nothing. Her multicolored hair drooped slightly, obscuring her face, but Twilight could almost feel the pain and rage emanating off her person.<p>

"What're we gonna do?" sobbed Apple Bloom. "What's gonna happen to my sister?"

"We're going get her back," Twilight replied automatically. "We're going to get them all back, I promise."

_Or die trying, _she added silently. That much, she meant without reservation. She had friends now. Real friends. Something it had taken all her life to realize was the most important thing in the world. Pinkie Pie. Rarity. Applejack. Fluttershy. She would give everything for these ponies. Friendship was her life.

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><p><strong><em>Hiya everybody. My name's Kent and this is the beginning of what I tell myself will be an epic tale of adventure, friendship, death and life. Or it might just end up a good time. Or it'll suck so hard you hunt me down and murder me. Either way, it's my first story so constructive criticism is vastly appreciated. Forewarning, in this story, I'm going to get pretty ruthless with my character killing. I'm gonna knock off a lot of fan favorites, including ones I like a lot myself so if you wanna read a story where everyone is happy and naked in paradise, you turn the f**k around right now. Language will be a thing because I have a rather foul mouth and even though the two tagged characters are male and female, romance will NOT, I repeat, NOT be a very heavy part of this story and I'll tell you right now they'll be none of it between those two. Alright kids, that's all for now. Peace.<br>_**


	2. Chapter 1: Goodbye Horses

**Chapter 1: Goodbye Horses**

"So where are we goin' dude?" asked Jake, his voice magnified slightly by his enlarged size.

"For the trazillionth time, we're gonna go save the Horse Kingdom, man! PB got a magic signal from their princess calling for help and junk. _We're_ help." Explained Finn from atop Jake's head, not as patiently as the third and forth times he had been forced to go over the plans with Jake.

"Man, I didn't even know there _was _a Horse Kingdom," panted Jake, his tongue flopping around outside his mouth.

"Neither did I," replied Finn blankly. "I thought all horses were from the crystal dimension."

"That's only rainicorns, dude," said Jake. "Regular horses are from everywhere. Why's this place have to be so far away? We've been walkin' forever and I need some spaghetti."

"That's probably why no one knew about it; because it's so far away," replied Finn, feeling a rumbling in his own stomach. He couldn't argue with Jake's complaints; they had been traveling three entire days through absolute nowhere. "They'll probably have spaghetti there. We should be pretty close."

Finn didn't know how right he was. Within five minutes, they came to a tall (but thanks to Jake's powers, not nearly insurmountable) row of mountains. Finn reached into his green backpack, pulling out the map Princess Bubblegum had drawn for them.

"According to this, the Horse Kingdom is just on the other side of these mountains," noted Finn.

Climbing the mountains wasn't especially difficult for Jake, even with Finn clinging to his back and once he reached the top he shrunk back down to normal size and the two stared out over their first view of the Horse Kingdom.

Or what was left of it.

Every building seemed to be battered and worn as if by some kind of intense storm, and everything was blackened as if by a great fire, but there didn't seem to be any smoke. A fair number of the smaller huts were completely flattened and far in the distance, Finn could see a very regal looking castle clinging to the side of a tall mountain, much taller than the ones he and Jake had just scaled. Finn drew his binoculars from his pack and as he gazed through them at the castle, he noticed many of the great stained-glass windows were shattered. Thick dark clouds partially obscured the taller towers.

"This is banaynay," whispered Jake. "What happened here?"

"I don't know brother," breathed Finn. He scoured the small town with his binoculars. Something was horribly wrong. Everything was so still and quiet.

"Finn…"

"I see it." Finn's stomach dropped, even as he refocused his binoculars to get a better look. The streets were littered not just with debris as he had initially thought, but with what were unmistakably skeletons. Entire skeletons of what looked to be ponies, some with wings, others with horns on their heads, all bare bones save for sparse strips of greyed skin or sinew or the occasional clump of mane or tail.

As Finn and Jake climbed down the mountain and walked down the path that led into the ruined town, Finn's guts felt like they were tying themselves in knots. Just outside the town they passed a charred sign, some spots of colorful paint and glitter still visible beneath the black.

_Welcome to Ponyville._

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><p><em><strong>See? Death and destruction abound. I think at the end of this story I might release a full confirmed casualty list, but until then, a lot of individuals will be at least suggested here and there, i.e. you might see a skeleton wearing a certain characters clothes or something. Right then. That's all for now.<strong>_

_**Next Time: "C'mon Grab Your Friends"**  
><em>


	3. Chapter 2: C'mon Grab Your Friends

**Chapter 2: C'mon, Grab Your Friends**

"I'm gonna kill it," said Dash, kicking a few small pebbles into the fire. "As soon as I get Pinkie Pie back I'm gonna kill that thing."

"And Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity," added Twilight; unsure whether or not Dash was aware she was speaking aloud.

"Wha? Oh and them too, for sure." Dash was pacing feverishly, occasionally stopping to kick a rock or two into the campfire Spike had built to keep them warm in the cave.

"Dash, stop that, you're going to put out the fire," said Twilight, with an air of concern that did not actually pertain to the fire at all. Dash stopped kicking the pebbles but otherwise did not seem to be paying much attention to the other pony.

"Gonna kill it, gonna hit with a sonic rainboom tackle and I'm gonna trample it's face and I'm gonna kill it and-"

"Dash, please," begged Twilight. She walked up to Dash and gently began stroking her mane in a consoling manner. Dash was weeping now, heavily and silently.

"It-it took Pinkie Pie," sobbed Dash into Twilight's mane. "It took Pinkie Pie and she's gone and I'm gonna kill it."

"Shhh, I know you will," soothed Twilight, secretly glad Spike had taken Apple Bloom deeper into the cave to find somewhere to go to the bathroom.

Twilight gave a deep sigh as Dash wept on and once again tried to wrap her mind around the situation. Ponyville was gone. Some… _thing_ had come, burned the village with green fire, killed (Twilight desperately didn't want to know how many) ponies and Ponyville was… _gone_. What had done it? What was the horrible monster that had torn her life apart? The only thing like it Twilight had ever seen was…

Nightmare Moon.

_That's stupid_, thought Twilight to herself. _Nightmare Moon had been beaten. Plus, this beast was far more terrible, and it had long, curling horns on either side of it's head and it's own flesh seemed to be peeling away…._ Twilight had to refrain from gagging slightly just at the thought of the grotesque being. Instead, Twilight thought about her princess. Celestia had stayed behind to fight off the beast while Twilight, Dash, Spike and Bloom escaped with their lives. The last Twilight had seen, Celestia was losing, badly and in what seemed to be a last ditch effort, sent a multicolored ball of light into the sky and away, then was struck down my the green flames of the beast. Was she… _dead_? What was the light she had released? Was it a call for help? And to whom?

Twilight's head ached. There were too many questions to be answered. As Dash sobbed on, gently now, Twilight gazed out through the mouth of the cave at the ruined town below. Her home. Now Twilight was fighting back tears herself.

But then she saw something.

"Dash, look," Twilight beckoned, gesturing down to the path leading into Ponyville.

"Wha?" Dash wiped her eyes. "What… is… is that a dog? Is that a yellow dog? And what the heck is_ that_? Is that a monkey?"

"I'm… not sure," answered Twilight, bewildered. "I don't think it's a monkey. It's too big and it's wearing clothes."

"Twilight, they're going into Ponyville," Dash said, in a stronger voice now, more reminiscent of herself. "Twilight, they don't know…."

"What should we do?" asked Twilight, already in her heart knowing what she was going to do. She looked over her shoulder. Convenient timing. Spike and Bloom were walking back up towards the mouth of the cave, a torch in Spike's claw.

"Right, ok, Dash, how's your leg?"

"Fine, it's fine, it's nothing," reassured Dash. "I'm coming with you."

"Good. I need your strength down there."

"I...," Dash faltered a little. "I'm fine. I'm good, let's do this."

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><p><em><strong>Oh hai reader. So yeah, there's the situation laid out for all of you, all the players are lined up. And yes, there is a suggested romance going on between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. If you look at the apparent male and female populations of Equestria, there are astronomically more females than males. With those numbers, homosexuality would have to be rampant, possibly even the majority. Or if you're like, a homophobe, you can pretend they're just very best friends or something, but then again, if you're like that I don't think I really want you reading this anyway. Anyway, next chapter is a fight so if you were secretly wishing they would all just shut up and hit something, you're gonna get your wish. Comments and questions are always welcome. Later.<strong>_

_**_**Next Time:**_ "Giddy Up"  
><strong>_


	4. Chapter 3: Giddy Up

**Chapter 3: Giddy Up**

Finn didn't like this. Walking around this many skeletons just seemed so wrong to him on a primal level, yet it felt uncomfortably familiar. It reminded him of the time he and Jake chased the Lich down into his lair, where he kept his well of power. Finn shivered. As much as he loved adventure and danger, that fight had been a little bit _too_ much for him.

Jake didn't seem thrilled either.

"Finn, I think whatever bad thing was gonna happen here, happened already," he said. "Maybe we should go back and-"

"No, man," said Finn assertively. "We have to keep going."

"I feel like saying that is something that we're going to regret almost immediately," said Jake.

They regretted it almost immediately.

All around them, the skeletons of the ponies began to rise.

"No!" gasped Finn. It couldn't be happening again could it? Hadn't he beaten the Lich? He had. Then it possessed PB and then Ice King froze it and then… bazoobs. Finn realized at that moment he never questioned what happened to the Lich's spirit after it escaped from PB.

Finn drew his root-handled sword and struck out at a pony skeleton's head. The blade burst the skull and the rest of the skeleton crumbled apart. Finn remembered from last time, that taking them apart bone-by-bone would only cause the skeletons to re-assemble. Jake stretched himself several times larger, and his right hand into a giant hammer, smashing at multiple attacking skeletons at once.

"Finn, there's too many of them!" cried Jake in horror.

"Jake, there's like twelve of them! Hold your ground!"

Finn was right, but they _did _keep coming and even he knew that at this rate, their numbers were likely to grow exponentially. He jumped into the air, landing on and scattering a pony skeleton wearing what looked like goggles and a jumpsuit with a lightning bolt on it and swung his sword, shattering the skull of a tall pony wearing a large number of golden bracelets.

"Jake, how are you-" Finn called, turning to see how his brother was faring.

But Jake was gone.

"JAKE!" Finn screamed, his voice cracking as he decapitated another skeleton.

And then he was flying.

Finn looked down as the writhing mass of skeletons (and there must have been almost a hundred now) shrank below him.

"Whuh?"

Finn looked up. A blue winged pony was carrying him in her hooves. This one was alive, though. Her mane and tail were striped with all the colors of the rainbow and on her flank there was the image of a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt striking from it.

"Jake!"

Jake was rested on the pegasus' back, unconscious but still visibly breathing.

As confused as he was, Finn couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of flying. He loved it whenever Marceline would pick him up and soar away with him. The flying pony however, was much faster than the vampire queen. Finn spread his arms and felt the wind on his face, billowing his clothes slightly.

And then he was on the ground. The cold, uncomfortable stone ground.

And then so was Jake.

"Ow. What the ham?" Finn rubbed his slightly bruised backside.

The rainbow-maned pegasus stood before him and then was joined by a lavender unicorn. Now there were two ponies. This was moving too fast.

"What the lump is going on?" Finn shrieked, flailing his root-sword around.

"Easy," said Twilight, using magic to levitate the sword out of Finn's hand.

"My sword!" cried Finn. He hocked back in his throat.

"You're going to poke someone's eye out with-"

Finn released his wad of spit, which hit Twilight directly in the face, stunning her. Twilight dropped the sword.

Before Finn could reach it however, Rainbow Dash had flown into him, tackling him off the ground, but Finn crawled onto her back and pulled her into a flying headlock. The two crashed into a boulder, Dash taking the brunt of the hit, knocking her unconscious. Twilight wiped the spit off her face.

"Eww! What are you-"

"AIIIIIEEE!" screamed Finn, diving at Twilight, who this time levitated Finn himself so that he was floating helplessly a few feet from Twilight's face.

"Settle down!" shouted Twilight. Finn stopped thrashing.

"Who the nuts are you?" demanded Finn.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," said Twilight. Finn paused, then giggled slightly.

"That's the girliest name I'm ever heard!" he laughed.

"I'M A GIRL!" yelled Twilight, now beyond aggravated. "What are you doing in Ponyville?"

"Are you from here?" asked Finn, suddenly placid. Had he just been beating on the people he had been sent here to help? That was totally not righteous.

"Yes. This place was… is my home," answered Twilight. "Something terrible happened. We were attacked."

"Whoa, man," said Finn, now feeling downright awful. "I'm totally sorry. My name's Finn. Me and Jake are here to help you guys."

"You… you got Celestia's signal?" asked Twilight.

"If she's your queen," said Finn, "then yeah, we got her message. We're from out by the Candy Kingdom and Ice Kingdom. It took us forever to find the Horse Kingdom. We didn't even know it existed."

"If by 'Horse Kingdom' you mean Equestria, then yes, you're here. And Celestia is our princess."

"Always a princess," mumbled Finn.

"What?"

"I said could you put me down now?" Finn's feet were still dangling several feet off the ground.

"Oh yes, of course," muttered Twilight embarrassedly, setting Finn gently down.

"So," she searched for something to break the awkward silence with. "Are you a monkey?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh Lawdy is that some action violence? Hope you enjoyed that. EXPECT MOAR LIEK THIS. The factions (Finn + Jake  the pony survival squad) have met up and now the cool stuff really begins. Stay tuned for more action, violence, tweests n' turns. Peace.**_

**_**Next Time:** "Campfire Stories"  
><em>**


	5. Chapter 4: Campfire Stories

**Chapter 4: Campfire Stories**

Finn and Jake warmed themselves by the fire. It was quite a cold night and Finn had forgot his yellow sweater and his pink one that Princess Bubblegum had imbued with her "liking him a lot" both back at the tree house.

Spike was eying Jake mistrustfully, though Jake didn't seem to notice. Apple Bloom was staring rather gawkily at Finn.

"I never saw a monkey so big before," said Apple Bloom.

"Apple Bloom, he's not a monkey, he's a human," corrected Twilight in a very teacher-like manner. "Just like everyone in Equestria is a pony, Finn comes from a land of humans."

"Uh, not exactly…" interjected Finn. "I'm kind of a solo deal. Like, as far as I know, I'm the only one. Probably anywhere."

Twilight was horrified.

"Oh my goodness, I'm… I'm so sorry." She stared at the fire, burning with shame. _What a stupid thing to say_, she thought.

"It's really no big deal," Finn assured her. "I've never known any other humans or anything. Me and Jake's parent's found me when I was a baby."

"Where'd you learn those moves?" asked Rainbow Dash enthusiastically. She did not at all seem to be holding a grudge against Finn for their fight earlier and was in fact apparently in as much awe of him as Apple Bloom.

"Uh, I've been fighting stuff since I was a baby," explained Finn. "Like every day for as long as I can remember, this shark and science cat attack me at exactly 4 o' clock and I cut off their heads. They grow them back by the next day."

Dash was raptured by Finn's stories. Jake sat quietly, sipping cocoa they had brought along in a thermos in Finn's backpack.

Jake saw Bloom eyeing the thermos. With a light sigh, he handed it over to the little pony. Even without his cocoa, Jake couldn't help but smile.

"Confound these ponies," said Jake. "They drive me to sharing with their cuteness."

"I am _not_ cute," asserted Dash in a very unintentionally cute squeak of disapproval.

"Uh, anyway," said Finn, changing the subject, "What can you tell me about the thing that attacked Ponyville?"

Twilight looked from Dash, to Apple Bloom, to Spike. Spike shifted uncomfortably and poked at the fire with a stick.

" It... It was horrible," Twilight began. "A monster."

She paused, looking not at Finn, but beyond him somehow. Finn waited for her to continue.

"It was like us. sort of."

" A... pony?" questioned Finn.

"But bigger. Like our princess, Celestia, except black. Almost black. It had wings. Big ones."

Twilight paused again and looked back at Dash. Dash was averting her gaze, staring intensely into the fire. It was obvious they had been thinking the same thing. Twilight so far had just described Nightmare Moon.

" I guess," sighed Twilight, "I should tell you about Nightmare Moon."

Twilight talked for a long time and didn't stop. She told him about Celestia and Luna, about Luna's betrayal and transformation, about her thousand-year imprisonment, escape and eventual defeat and restoration at the hands of Twilight and her friends.

"So this thing," began Finn, " was Nightmare Moon? She came back?"

"It was so much worse, though," emphasized Twilight. "And she looked a little bit different, too. She had two twisted horns coming out of the sides of her head. And there was something wrong with her eyes. They were like little green dots in these deep black pits. She just looked... looked..."

"Dead?"

Finn's felt his stomach drop to somewhere around his knees. Twilight saw the expression on his face.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"It's my turn to tell a story," Finn answered darkly.

He recounted his battle with the Lich and Princess Bubblegum's possession.

"That explains the skeletons, and the curly horns and the eyes and junk," finished Finn.

Twilight raised her eyebrows.

"So you mean it's not Nightmare Moon or the Lich, it's-"

"Both," finished Spike and Jake at the same time. They exchanged glances, both surprised that they were on the same page.

"So," began Finn, "Princess Luna's got the Lich and this 'Nightmare Moon' in her bod at the same time. No wonder this place is a mess, no offense."

"None taken," said Twilight, not 100% truthfully.

"The Lich was probably the toughest thing I ever fought all by itself. If Nightmare Moon is as tough as you say this could be a real prob. If we don't do something fast, she… they… it could kill everything."

Apple Bloom whimpered softly and buried her face in Rainbow Dash's wing.

"Dude, what could we possibly do?" said Jake. "This thing'll kill us faster than a nougat bird."

"Isn't obvious?" said Rainbow Dash, speaking for the first time in a while. Everyone turned their eyes to her. The flickering campfire reflected in Dash's violet eyes.

"We kill it first."

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><p><em><strong>So there we have it. The primary antagonist is revealed to be "Nightmare Lich" and heshe/it isn't kidding around. Whether you guessed the villain would be the Lich or Nightmare Moon, you were both right. If you guessed Discord, Marceline's Dad or the Ice King, maybe, probably, certainly next time. Next chapter is some serious, serious action violence. I'm debating upping my rating to M. I dunno. Any thoughts on the matter would be nice.**_

_**Next Time: "Dog Days Are Over"**_


	6. Chapter 5: Dog Days Are Over

**Chapter 5: Dog Days Are Over**

The next morning, Finn woke up, removed his hat and shook a few yellow hairs off of it. He had slept using Jake as a pillow and Jake had shed on him slightly. Finn gazed out over the ruins of Ponyville, the sunrise painting the world a gentle orange.

He looked around at the others. They were all still asleep. Spike snorted lightly, small tufts of smoke puffing from his nostrils. Jake muttered something apologetic to Meat Man in his sleep. Finn sighed, decided to go for a walk and, still in his red footy pajamas, stepped out of the mouth of the cave.

As Finn wandered, so did his mind. It went first, as it so often did, to Princess Bubblegum. The sweet smell of her hair that was so soft it was almost gooey. Her voice, delicate but warm, so inviting whenever she said his name. Finn felt himself turn pink at these thoughts, though as he was alone, he didn't mind.

But he was not _quite_ alone.

Finn was just thinking about how very glad the princess would be to see him when he returned from this mess when he felt a large, heavy hand, no, paw on his shoulder. He turned around just in time to see the large jaws full of rows of jagged yellow teeth. He knocked the paw-like hand from his shoulder and ducked to the right just as the jaws snapped shut on the place his head had been occupying a second ago. Finn rolled a few feet back to give himself some space. Something was wrong. He could feel the light wind blowing his… hair. With a voice-cracking shriek, Finn reached his hands up into his now free-flowing mop of golden hair.

His hat was gone. It was stuck in the teeth of his attacker.

Finn watched in horror as the enormous, vest-wearing dog noticed the hat there and swallowed it whole.

"NOOOO!" screamed Finn, his voice cracking about twice.

He noticed two things. The dog's eyes were glazed over, or perhaps even dried out, and there were large chunks missing from its flesh, many of its ribs protruding visibly from its chest.

The dog was dead.

The second thing Finn noticed was that it wasn't alone. Two more zombified dogs loomed behind it, drooling slime and groaning hollowly, one larger and bluish, and one much smaller and a sickly yellow. Each of them was pale and tinged with grey and, except for the yellow one, they were all noticeably taller than him. The blue one's right arm was entirely gone.

The smallest of the dogs charged first. Finn jumped high and landed hard on it's head and twisted his legs, snapping the dog's neck, it gurgled angrily after him as he leapt from it's head, hitting the first, entirely gray dog with a flying kick to the jaw. The dog gave a roar and swung at the human with his claws. Finn dodged them to the left and drove an elbow into his enemy's spine, sending it stumbling forward onto its face. He jumped out of the way just as the largest dog smashed his fist into the ground, missing Finn. The large blue dog pulled its fist back, readying another blow. Just as the dog swung, Finn threw the smaller yellow dog in front of him and leapt aside. The large dog's forearm plowed straight through the smaller one's head, splattering it into a pulpy mess. The smaller dog's body dropped to the floor with a wet "thwak" sound. Finn ran up the length of the large dog's arm and punched its shoulder as hard as he could. The blue dog's shoulder snapped like a board. With a short series of sharp twists, Finn tore the dog's remaining arm free, showering his already red pajamas with a deep maroon. Finn struck the dog over the head with it's own arm, knocking a shriveled eyeball messily from it's socket. From behind, the gray dog pounced at Finn, who ducked, causing the gray dog to collide with the now armless blue one. The two dead dogs crashed to the ground, moaning and barking. Finn picked up a large rock and stood over the blue dog. He brought the rock down on the blue dog's head. Then he did it again. And again.

The dead dog lay still.

Finn dropped the rock and stood over what remained of the blue dog, panting heavily, a spatter of maroon across his face, his golden hair hanging slightly over his eyes. The gray dog rose behind him, wheezing softly, a claw outstretched and jaws agape.

"FINN!" shouted Jake, running down the rocky mountainside. Twilight and Spike followed behind him. Jake was holding Finn's root-handled sword. He tossed it.

The sword arced high in the air, reflecting brightly in the sun. Finn caught it, turned around and plunged the blade through the gray dog's throat, the length protruding from the other side. Finn twisted the blade slightly, and then pulled up, bisecting the dead dog's head up the middle. The zombie dog dropped to its knees and Finn decapitated it.

"Holy oats," muttered Rainbow Dash. Finn had not seen her land next to him. "That was brutal."

"You don't understand," Finn tried to explain, running his hand through his messy blond hair. "He ate my hat."

"You're not gonna…" began Twilight, eyeing Finn's sword clutched in his hand. "You can get another one right?"

"No," said Finn flatly, positioning his sword above the stomach of the gray dog's body.

"I can't."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Alright, I've decided to bump this story up to M. It wasn't even for this fight, either. I'm like, three chapters ahead of you guys at all times and I was writing this scene with... well... I don't wanna spoil it, but it but the violence was so absurd that even after I toned it down I realized there's no way I could get away with a T rating here. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to have Finn do something cool, like fight three zombie diamond dogs without his sword, in his pajamas.<strong>_

_**Next Time: "Damn Hell Ass"**_

_**No seriously, that's the title of the next chapter. For real.**_


	7. Chapter 6: Damn Hell Ass

**Chapter 6: Damn Hell Ass**

Finn was off bathing and washing off his hat and pajamas in a nearby stream. Much to the ponies' confusion, he had insisted on privacy for this activity (referring to the idea of having company while naked as decidedly "not math") and Twilight and Spike were left to search the surrounding area for anything edible, Dash to act as scout from high above, and for Jake to watch Apple Bloom back at the cave.

Apple Bloom quickly grew quite fond of Jake. He shared the strange little snacks he and Finn had brought in his green backpack, and she loved it when Jake told stories about Finn and his exploits.

"So when we got to Ash's place," said Jake, retelling another adventure of his and Finn's, "Finn showed Marceline his memory of her memory of the break-up. She was so mad she kicked him right in the parts and then we all beat him up."

Apple Bloom laughed in shock.

"Ya just beat him up?" she said, smiling. "Ya can't do that!"

Jake shrugged.

"He had it coming. He was canoodling Marcie under false pretenses. That's like, really skeevy. Finn gets really protective of his lady friends when it comes to that stuff."

"You guys beat people up a lot?" asked Bloom curiously.

"The ones that deserve it, yeah," said Jake, scratching himself behind the ear. "We fight monsters and demons and villains pretty much every day. That's like, our thing."

"Like Shark and Science Cat?" asked Bloom, secretly trying to impress him with her memory.

"Yeah, well," said Jake, "those guys are weird. Fighting them's more like a daily ritual. I'm not sure if they're really evil or not."

"But you cut their heads off every day!"

"Only when we get around to it," said Jake. "And they grow them back every day too, so it's not like they're like, headless forever or anything."

"You guys are so tough," Apple Bloom muttered. "Ooo sounds like such a dangerous place."

"I guess it is," admitted Jake, "but it's fun and exciting too. And happy, even despite all the monsters and villains and junk."

"Do you guys think we can really do this? Do you really think we can save ma sister and all her friends?"

Apple Bloom, despite her hopeful expression, had tears welling up in her eyes now.

"Sure we will," said Jake, as thought it would be nothing at all. He fished around in the backpack, which Finn had left with them and pulled out a jar of red sauce, a pot, and a box of long, uncooked noodles.

"You want to help me make some spaghetti?"

Twilight and Spike pushed through the light bramble. On her back, Twilight carried a basket that Apple Bloom crafted out of twigs. Rarity had taught her how last Winter Wrap-Up, though the basket perched atop Twilight now was nowhere near as neat or refined as Rarity's had been. Inside the basket were blue and purple berries and a handful of meaty-looking mushrooms. The basket, though not large, was still just under half-filled.

Spike picked a pinecone off the ground, inspected it, then threw it aside disappointedly.

"Wish we could find some rubies out here," he sighed. "Or sapphires. I could really go for some sapphires right now."

"We have to make do, Spike," said Twilight, tearing a dirty looking, beet- like tuber out of the ground with her magic. "Finn and Jake brought barely enough food for themselves as it is. We're lucky they're sharing it with us."

"Hell, I'd settle for topaz, I don't give a damn," continued Spike as though he had not heard her.

" Spike! Watch your language!" cried Twilight in shock.

"Damn hell ass," recited Spike defiantly. "Seriously Twilight, what does it matter anymore? Who am I going to offend? And don't say _you_ either, I've heard you curse like a stallion when you're frustrated and you think you're alone."

"I... No you haven't," Twilight stammered defensively, blushing. "When?"

"About a week ago when you couldn't find Advanced Spells of Protection Vol. 2, you kept muttering 'shit, shit, shit' under your breath. Then when you found it, you called the book a mother fucker."

"SPIKE!" Twilight yelled in horror, absolutely red with embarrassment.

" Hey, _you_ said it," defended Spike.

"I didn't know you were listening!" insisted Twilight. Spike grinned.

"We _do _live together, you know. I was in the hall and your door was open," he explained. "I mean, I don't care, you know. You're, like, my sister Twilight. I'm not gonna not love you because you're a potty mouth."

Twilight was no longer blushing, but she was genuinely touched by Spike's confession. It was not like him at all to be sentimental.

"I love you too Spike," said Twilight sincerely. "You've been my best friend my entire life and I promise you we're going to get through-"

"Shut up, Twi," interrupted Spike, his turn to be red. "I don't wanna hear all that mushy 'feelings' junk."

"Right, sorry," said Twilight, grinning at Spike's embarrassment.

The two of them went back to scavenging for food in silence.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I thought I'd balance out last chapter's bloody graphic violence with some sentimentality and emotion. Y'know, fuzzy junk. The next chapter is pretty fuzzy too, but the one after that is some seriously sick and grotesque violence so, y'know, patience. I also have a few ideas for new stories floating around so I may take just a bit of time to work on them as well. One of them's kinda like, Princess Bubblegum wants to prove her adventureness and ends up going on a crazy Harold and Kumar style adventure. It's pretty cool.<strong>_

_**Next Time: Sweater**_


	8. Chapter 7: Sweater

**Chapter 7: Sweater**

Finn walked just ahead of the rest of the group, his sword drawn, swiping occasionally at any overgrowth threatening their procession. Twilight trotted just behind him, every few minutes giving a direction or two. Jake and Apple Bloom rode atop Jake's back who had grown to about six times his usual size to compensate for the additional weight. Rainbow Dash followed at the end, walking backwards so as to cover their rear. The group had finally packed up and decided to make their way to Canterlot. Fortunately for them, the cave they had been staying in was on a mountain only a few miles away from their destination, the route to which was largely under the cover of light forestation.

After several hours of walking through the bramble, they came to a small clearing of trees and decided to rest.

Once the others were settled, Finn walked off into the trees. Twilight followed him.

"Finn," said Twilight, sitting next to the human, who was busying himself sharpening his root-handled blade.

"Yeah?" said Finn, giving his sword a test swing at a large mushroom that was growing off of a nearby tree. The mushroom was sliced cleanly off and hit the dirt ground with a muffled thud.

"How did you beat the Lich the first time?" Twilight asked.

"I was wearing a sweater that Princess Bubblegum had made for me. It protected me from the Lich's evil because it was imbued with her… her…" Finn turned slightly pink. "Her liking me a lot."

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"You mean her love?"

Pink became red.

"It's… it's not like that," stammered Finn. "She doesn't… I mean _I _do… not like…"

"You don't think the princess loves you back?"

Finn was unable to speak. His face was a violent crimson and the only sound that escaped his agape mouth was a low gurgling. Twilight rolled her eyes.

_He's no better than Spike,_ she thought to herself. _Boys. Any mention of feelings and they get all violate and stupid. _Twilight leaned forward until her horn rested gently on Finn's forehead. Finn recoiled slightly, suddenly uncomfortable with the intense proximity of their faces.

"May I?" she asked cautiously.

"Uhhh…"

"Don't move."

With that, Twilight's horn erupted into light and a glittering slideshow of Finn's memories swirled and flashed before both of their eyes.

Memories of Princess Bubblegum.

_Finn held the Princess as they fell through the air. Her hair bounced lightly into his face as they landed on Jake's back. It smelled sweet. His heart fluttered._

_Bubblegum was dancing with Ricardio, who dipped her low. They were having an engrossing conversation about things Finn didn't understand. In his mind he envisioned _himself_ dancing with the princess. On Ricardio's face._

_He was not himself. He had enacted some kind of elaborate plan, and it had worked, only too well. Something about a black hole. Fuzziness. The princess's voice. _

"_I need the real you."_

_She was giving him a pink sweater with a small heart stitched into the breast. _

"_The Lich's lair is supposed to be cold. I just don't want you to get sick," she said. "I'm not great at knitting, but... I care about you Finn."_

_It wasn't fair. This gift had been given to him; the princess was 13 now, just like him. Why did the Earl have to show up and take the throne? Why couldn't she stay like this with him? Forever?_

_Her lips were warm and soft and so sweet, sugary even-_

"HEY!" shouted Finn, yanking his head back, breaking the magical connection.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" gasped Twilight, now almost as pink and breathing hard. "I was just trying to understand… I didn't realize it would be so…"

"It's alright," gasped Finn. Why was he suddenly so out of breath? When did it get so hot outside?

"She loves you Finn," breathed Twilight heavily. "And you don't need that sweater to beat the Lich." She reached out a hoof, placing it on Finn's heart.

"The power's all in here," she panted. "Her love, it isn't in the sweater, it's in-"

"Twilight, where'd you-" called Spike, pushing through a bush next to Finn and Twilight. He saw them and froze. They were both very red in the face and seemingly out of breath. Twilight's hoof was still on Finn's chest.

"OH MY GOD," screamed Spike at the top of his lungs. "WHAT THE HE-"

"Spike, be quiet! It's not what it looks like!" hurried Twilight, simultaneously distancing herself from Finn and stuffing her hoof into Spike's mouth. He pulled it out.

"You…! You two were…!" Spike stammered.

"I was reading his mind," asserted Twilight forcefully.

Finn looked on, profoundly confused.

And then there was a scream.

And a crash.

And then Rainbow Dash's limp body flew in a high arc through the air and landed with a thud at Finn's feet.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I said no inter-species and I meant it. The Spike catching Finn and Twilight scene was a joke. For laughs. Don't get any ideas. Also, I'm not writing lemons at any point in this story because I said so. Not this time around anyway. Maybe in the next one. It's kinda intimidating. Anyway, all the mushy feelings junk is out of the way for now. Next chapter is the most grotesque obscene violence yet. Bring popcorn.<em>**

**_Next Time: The Sting_**


	9. Chapter 8: The Sting

**Chapter 8: The Sting**

Jake burst through the bush that spike had just emerged from, Apple Bloom secured in a baby harness that Jake had stretched his chest into. She was crying hysterically.

"Finn!" shouted Jake. "Manticore!"

"Manticore?" repeated Twilight. She vaguely remembered encountering a manticore once. It had overpowered her and her friends, until Fluttershy was able to pacify it with her animal affinity.

Finn was trying to shake an unconscious Rainbow Dash awake when the thing came through the bushes itself.

"Oh." Twilight felt the words tumble from her lips. "Oh Celestia, no."

Twilight could not tell if it was the same manticore she and her friends had encountered that day, though it was certainly at least as large, if not larger. the gold of it's fur was muted to a color somewhere between a pale brown and a sickly yellow. Large patches of it's mane were gone. The front of the beast's face seemed to be stripped of most flesh, leaving no lips to conceal the large, dagger-like yellow teeth. They, like large portions of the creature's fur, were stained with red.

Then Twilight saw the manticore's stomach and vomited on the ground.

The beast's belly was torn open from the inside.

And a tangled mass of pony corpses were hanging from the gaping hole. Their numbers the only thing keeping them wedged inside the monster's ribcage and not falling out. Twilight could actually recognize one of the mangled bodies as that of the Mayor of Ponyville. The mayor's mouth hung open limply as her head was dragged across the ground every time the manticore took a step.

"Jake," began Finn. "Jake, take Dash and Bloom and run."

"No way man! I'm staying here with you!"

"Jake!" shouted Finn more forcefully then he had ever spoken to his brother before. "Go! NOW!"

Jake's expression was hard to read. He picked up Dash, Apple Bloom still secured on his chest, and ran, increasing his stride by stretching with every step.

Just as the undead manticore bellowed a roar that sent flecks of blood flying in his direction, Finn leapt at the manticore.

With the swipe of a giant bloody paw, he was batted aside.

Twilight magicked a tree branch from above in half. It fell directly on top of the manticore's head, splintering into pieces and taking off a little skin from the beast's head.

The manticore showed no sign of noticing.

Twilight was frozen with fear as the manticore raised its scorpion tail. It struck.

Spike pulled Twilight hard by the leg. The stinger missed her by inches.

The manticore drew its tail back and struck again. With a clang, Finn deflected the stinger with his sword. He swung, slicing across the manticore's neck, pulpy crimson oozing from the wound. As the manticore leapt, the bloody rear half of a pony fell free from the beast's tangled entrails. The cutie mark depicted a trio of smiling flowers.

Twilight had fought monsters before, but nothing like this. Nothing had ever filled her with such fear, such revulsion, such terror. She didn't seem to be able scream. Or maybe she'd been screaming the whole time. Twilight could no longer tell.

Twilight shook her head fiercely, getting her head back in the game. Spike was clinging to Finn's back, occasionally shooting small jets of fire over the human's shoulder at the manticore. Finn was running circles around it, deflecting blows from the stinger with his sword and ducking and weaving around paw swipes.  
>Twilight's horn glowed a light purple and she fired a blast of magic at the manticore.<p>

The attack hit it directly on the chin, seemingly breaking it's jaw with a sickening cracking sound.

The monster turned its attention to Twilight. Finn was now standing on it's back, hacking at it savagely. The manticore ignored him. Finn plunged his sword into the monster's eyes, a thick yellowish liquid squirting everywhere. It raised its scorpion tail again, seemingly in slow motion. The stinger was pointed directly at the lavender unicorn.

"Twilight, move!" screamed Finn, his voice cracking.

The human was suddenly a blur.

The manticore struck out.

The unicorn's feet didn't seem to work. Twilight Sparkle shut her eyes and braced herself for the end.

There was a wet piercing sound, then a crack.

Twilight opened her eyes.

The manticore was now fully engulfed in Spike's flames and struggling to move it's weight with it's burned-away muscles. The end of its tail was a bloody stump.

Finn was standing directly in front of her. He turned to face her, a goofy smile on his face.

He dropped to his knees.

Then to the ground.

And Twilight let out a scream when she saw the stinger impaling him through the chest, the point protruding from out of his back.


	10. Chapter 9: Dead Things

**Chapter 9: Dead Things**

Twilight Sparkle dropped to her knees beside the human. Even as her thoughts raced through every book on medicine and first aid she had committed to memory, tears began flowing steadily down her face.

Everyone knew manticore venom was incurably fatal.

The creature itself was burned down nearly to bones now. Spike rushed over to Twilight and Finn. Twilight's hooves were around the stinger in Finn's chest, trying to hold in as much blood as possible. Finn lay motionless.

"Oh no," breathed Spike.

"He… he took it for me," cried Twilight. "He took the sting for me." She reached a stained hoof up to Finn's face.

"GYYAAH!" screamed Finn, jerking awake.

Twilight screamed and stumbled back. Spike toppled over.

"Z-zombie!" he wailed.

"Zombie? Where? Where's the manticore?" Finn looked around, obviously confused, seemingly unaware of the stinger protruding from his chest.

"F-finn! You're alive!" Twilight sobbed, embracing the human in a teary hug.

"What? I know! OW!" Twilight had brushed against the stinger. Finn pushed the hysterical pony off of him and looked down.

"Oh my gob! Do I take it out or do I leave it in?" Finn asked, a trace of panic in his voice.

Spike scratched his head.

"Is anyone else confused as to why Finn isn't dead from being stung by a manticore?" he asked.

Twilight wiped her eyes.

"I… I guess his body didn't absorb any of the venom. Maybe being dead, the manticore's body stopped producing it. Or maybe since the stinger went right through you," said Twilight, gently prodding the other end, "the venom just bypassed you completely. I guess by sheer luck it missed your heart. How's your breathing?"

"Hurts a little," reported Finn, taking a deep, slightly shaky breath.

"You probably have a scratched lung. You've lost a good amount of blood, too," said Twilight, holding up her bloody hoofs. "I think I can take care of most of that with magic, but we're going to have to be careful about removing the stinger. Spike, could you use your fire to seal off both ends of it please? If there is any venom left inside, I don't want to risk it getting into Finn's wound."

Spike bent close and emitted a small burst of flame, melting the exposed end of the stinger protruding from Finn's chest. Spike repeated this on the end sticking out of his back. Finn winced as the heat of the flame singed his shirt lightly.

"All sealed up!" said Spike with a little salute.

"Alright," said Twilight. "This part's going to hurt. A lot."

Twilight's horn glowed a brilliant white and before Finn could protest, she magicked the stinger violently from chest. A small amount of blood sprayed Twilight in the face. Finn cringed but surprisingly didn't scream. Blood began to flow from his wound more heavily now. Finn fell to his knees.

"Ouughh," he moaned.

"Oh no, I think I might've nicked an artery!" cried Twilight worriedly. "Don't worry! I can fix that!"

Several minutes later, Finn was on his feet again, patting the area on his chest where there used to be a potentially mortal wound. Other than being slightly paler and a little woozy from blood loss, he was no worse for wear.

"How are you feeling?" breathed Twilight, exhausted from the emergency magical surgery.

"Pretty math I guess," responded Finn walking in a circle as if to test his capabilities. "Sore. A little dizzy I guess."

"Thank Celestia," sighed Twilight.

Suddenly, there was a multicolored flash. Finn, Twilight and Spike turned around to see Rainbow Dash, sporting a cut lip and a blacked eye beating the smoldering skeleton that used to be the manticore with her hooves, stomping bones into powder.

"And that!" she was yelling. "And THAT! And one of these!"

"Rainbow," started Twilight, but before she could finish, Jake the dog was by Dash's side, his fists stretch to many times their usual size. Jake too was pummeling the blackened skeleton. Apple Bloom was approaching the manticore skeleton carefully, but Finn could see a sharp stick in her mouth and a determined look in her eyes.

He looked to Twilight, her expression exhausted, yet slightly amused. Finn shrugged at her and smiled, then walked over to the fallen manticore and began hacking at the bones with his sword.

After ten or so minutes, the skeleton was reduced to little more than a fine black powder and everyone seemed satisfied.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Finn lives! The manticore is slain! Again! 'Cause it's a zombie! Things begin to come to a head next chapter. It's by no means the last chapter, but you know, the climax begins to get under way. Debating on doing a sequel. Let me know if ya'll want one or not. I have some good ideas for it in any case.<em>**

**_Next Time: Castle Crashers_**


	11. Chapter 10: Castle Crashers

_**HIYA EVERYBODY! If you've been waiting patiently for the next chapter of Adventure is Magic, you deserve an everything burrito. Hell, if you've been following the story at all, you deserve an everything burrito. Be prepared; from here on out, s**t starts to get real for Finn, Jake and the ponies and to make up for my brief hiatus, I know present you with the longest chapter of AIM to date! Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Castle Crashers<strong>

"What do you see?" whispered Twilight into Finn's ear.

"Nothing. No skeletons or zomponies anywhere," mumbled Finn, adjusting the focus on his binoculars.

It had been three days since the battle with the manticore and Finn's brush with death. Despite Twilight's insistence that he rest for longer, Finn refused to lay around recuperating any longer after the first day. The swiftly group continued their journey until at last they had arrived in Canterlot. Presently, the team remained hidden in a thicket of bushes just across from the royal carriage way in front of the castle.

"That's weird," said Rainbow Dash loudly, making Finn and Twilight jump slightly.

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Rainbow. "Let's get Pinkie and the others out of there so I can Atomic Rainbomb that place."

"Dash, no-!" cried out Twilight, but it was too late. Rainbow Dash stepped out of the bushes onto the paved carriage way leading up to the castle.

Instantly, the ground in front of her erupted. Grayish skulls and bones flew up out of the dirt and gravel. Dozens of skeletal ponies were assembling before Rainbow, some with tufts of mane or tail remaining, others draped in strips of pale flesh or sporting singular eyes. A few of the reanimated equines were missing entire limbs.

Quite suddenly there were not dozens, but what looked more like hundreds, all scrambling in the direction of Rainbow Dash.

"Oh zap," muttered Finn. "Here we go!" The human whipped out his root handled sword and dove from the bushes to the cyan pegasus' side. A few of the skeletons shifted their attention to Finn.

Then they were upon them.

Finn swung and hacked. He leapt and kicked one of the skulls from a skeletal pony's neck. He grabbed another skull and smashed it into a third pony's shattering them both. A pair of hooves collided hard with the back of Finn's head, knocking him to his knees and twisting his hat askew. Jake, many times his normal size, fell upon the attacking pony from above, crushing it and providing Finn with ample time to right his hat and clamber to his feet. He swung out, decapitating the skeleton that had hit him and stomping on the skull as it bounced onto the ground.

Rainbow zoomed through the crowd of the dead ponies, sending random jumbles of bones flying through the air. A skeletal pony with a monocle leapt upon her back, knocking her to the ground. Dash bucked, smashing the attacker's skull to pieces.

Apple Bloom struggled against Twilight's grip. The purple unicorn held her tightly while she shield them both in a protective magical bubble.

"Lemme go, Twilight! I wanna help them! I wanna fight!" the filly whined, trying to kick free.

"No, Apple Bloom, you can't," Twilight protested, refusing to let the young mare go into the violent chaos just beyond the pale violet barrier. "It's too dangerous."

Skeletal hooves crashed hard against the magical force field again and again, causing it to ripple and tremble. Twilight gritted her teeth. The field was growing more difficult to maintain with every blow.

"How long can you keep this up?" asked Spike, clinging to Twilight's back.

"Not… long," she grunted, a bead of sweat trickling down her nose.

Finn's knuckles were beginning to go raw from the repeated collision against solid bone. He plunged his blade into the torso of a skeletal pony, entangling the sword in its ribcage. Finn wasted no time in grabbing the reanimated equines had and shattering it's skull with his own. From behind him, another skeletal pony bit down hard onto his left shoulder, causing him to yelp in surprise. The dead pony's jagged teeth sunk into him, drawing a fair amount of blood and tearing the shoulder of his blue t-shirt to ribbons.

"Ah!" he cried out in pain, elbowing the skeleton off of him. The pony staggered sideways, the entire left sleeve of Finn's shirt entangled in its maw. Finn turned and smashed the offender's skull into fragments with his sword.

At that minute, Rainbow Dash barreled into him, sending them both to the ground. Dash had a cut lip and her left eye was severely swollen.

"There's too many of them," Dash cried out as Finn helped her to her feet.

"What do we do?" called Twilight, who galloped over to them. Her field had finally given way and Apple Bloom and Spike were perched precariously on her back. Jake stretched into view, sporting a badly bleeding nose.

"I've got an idea!" shouted Dash as she bucked an attacker's ribcage to pieces. "Jake! Stretch into a bag!"

Jake shrugged and pulled himself into the shape of a large sack.

"Everybody get in!" roared Dash, holding the Jake-bag open. Twilight, Apple Bloom and Spike climbed inside. Finn, who was now duel-wielding his sword and a length of spine he had won from an attacker, struggled to keep the hordes back. At the last second, he climbed inside as well. Jake sealed himself off so that his passengers were enveloped securely.

Rainbow Dash clutched Jake and lifted off into the air. The weight was immense and she struggled to stay airborne. Her rose-colored eyes focused intently on the stained glass window on the side of the castle, maybe ten floors above the ground level, beating her wings furiously.

"Everybody, hang on!" roared Rainbow, gripping Jake tighter. They burst through the stained glass window with a crash and hit the castle floor hard with an echoing thud. Jake upstretched into his normal shape and everyone clambered to their feet.

Everyone except Rainbow. She had taken the full impact on her head to protect Jake and his passengers and had been knocked unconscious. There was a nasty gash across her forehead and the yellow part of her mane was matted with sticky wet red.

"Is she alright?" asked Apple Bloom with a little horrified squeak.

"I think so," said Finn, scooping Rainbow Dash up in his arms. He was surprised by how light she was. Rainbow drooled lightly onto the tattered remains of his shirt.

"Spike," said Finn. "Do you know where the dungeons are?"

"Of course I do," answered Spike. "Me and Twilight used to live in this castle when we worked in the library here."

Finn turned to Twilight, his eyes lit up with sudden understanding.

"You… you're a librarian?" he stammered.

"Um, yes?" answered Twilight meekly. "Why? Does that matter?"

"No, no of course not," said Finn looking away. "It just explains a lot of things. Anyway," he continued, gently handing off Rainbow's prone body to Jake, who tripled his size to support her weight. "Spike, you take Jake, Apple Bloom and Rainbow down to the dungeons. That's probably where all your friends are."

Spike and Jake glanced at each other, nodded, and headed off down the long hallway in the direction of a large spiral staircase.

"Twilight?"

"Yes?" answered the unicorn.

"We're gonna go find the Lich."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Next Time: Oh, There It Is<strong>_


	12. Chapter 11: Oh There It Is

**Chapter 11: Oh, There It Is**

Finn and Twilight walked silently down the narrow spiral staircase leading down to the ground floor. As they descended, Twilight eyed Finn. His shirt was torn to ribbons, now more resembling a tattered blue toga. His left shoulder was covered in blood and was glistening wetly. There seemed to be a small gash on his forehead covered by his hat as a small trickle of blood was running down the right side of his forehead.

And he was smiling.

Finn was actually _smiling._

"Finn," muttered Twilight, stopping in place. "Doesn't that hurt?" The unicorn gestured to the wound on the human's shoulder with her horn, causing him to back up instinctively.

"I've had worse," he grinned toothily.

"Still, just let me… hold on." Twilight's horn glowed with a gentle light. She tapped it lightly on Finn's shoulder. Instantly, Finn felt the tears in his skin close though the sensation itself was somewhat painful. He explored the former injury with his hand.

"Thanks," he said, giving Twilight the thumbs up. Twilight glanced up at the ceiling, entirely unaware what this gesture could possibly mean, then shrugged to herself as they continued on.

"You know," she began. "I think I've seen more blood since I've met you than I have in my entire life."

"You think?" answered Finn, the negative connotations of the statement sailing high over his head. "Cool, huh? Sign of a good adventure."

"Not what I was thinking," chuckled Twilight. "I mean Applejack would probably be used to it, living on a farm her whole life, or Fluttershy taking care of hurt animals like she does. I grew up nice and sheltered here in Canterlot with my-"

Twilight froze in place. Finn had just stepped down off the last stair onto the marble floor. Twilight was three steps from the bottom, her legs trembling violently. Finn was worried she would fall.

"Twilight?" Finn tested, unsure what the problem was. Tears were now streaming down the lavender unicorn's face.

"M-my parents," began Twilight, trembling. "Oh Celestia, my parents are dead."

Finn's fears were realized as Twilight's legs gave way and she fell from the stairs. Finn caught her, the two of the crashing to the floor. Finn helped Twilight to her feet. She was now sobbing uncontrollably.

"They're dead, oh Celestia no," she sobbed into Finn's non-bloody shoulder.

"Twilight, shh, we don't know that," comforted Finn, uncomfortably stroking Twilight's mane as he would a cat. This did in fact seem to comfort Twilight and after only a few minutes of weeping, she was up and walking again.

"You're right. There's… there's no time for that anyway. Not now," Twilight reasoned, determinedly.

"Are you sure the Lich will be in the library?" asked Finn after a few minutes.

"The spell books in there are probably the greatest power source in all of Equestria. If he's not there, I don't know where else he'd be." Twilight paused. "She."

"She?"

"We're also fighting Nightmare Moon, remember?" reminded Twilight.

They had reached the large double doors of the royal library. Finn drew his root-handled sword stepped in front of Twilight.

"You ready?" he whispered. Twilight sighed.

"As I'll ever b-"

Finn did not wait for her to finish. He kicked open the mighty doors with a loud bang that echoed through the vast round room. Books littered the floor and most of the shelves were knocked over onto the floor, many of them splintered into debris. A few tall ladders on wheels lay cracked in half on the floor and in the center of the room there stood a vast round table. Sprawled across the table was a magnificent white pony. Or perhaps, Finn thought, she was an actual horse. She was significantly larger and leaner than every other pony he had met so far and she sported both a horn and a ruffled pair of wings. Her mane and tail were a pastel pink and they cascaded off the ends of the table. The image of a blazing sun graced her flank.

The figure did not move.

Twilight gasped in horror, as though only now recognizing who was laid across the table.

"Princess!" she cried, running to Celestia's side. Twilight had never seen her mentor in this state. Twilight shook Celestia's prone figure with her hooves. Much to Twilight's relief, the princess stirred.

"Oh, Big Macintosh," mumbled the princess, her eyes still closed, waving her hooves weakly. "You're so strong."

Twilight paused, blinking in horror.

"Princess Celestia, it's me, Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!"

"Oh my that certainly is a lot of apple sauce you-"

Twilight struck the Princess hard across the face with her hoof.

"Ah! What is this? I don't even...! Who dares…?" screamed the Princess, awakening at last, wriggling madly off the table, her eyes darting around the room madly. "Twilight?"

"Princess, it's me," said Twilight, burying her face in her teacher's mane affectionately. Twilight wondered to herself why it was pink and motionless rather than it's usual multicolored river of cosmic energy. Celestia's expression softened.

"Twilight Sparkle," spoke the princess warmly. "My faithful student."

Twilight stared up into Celestia's eyes, her own shining with fresh tears.

"And I see you've brought a friend?" Celestia mused curiously. "And a human too. My, my. How interesting." She eyed Finn up and down, something that made him feel a little uncomfortable. "It's been a very long time since I've seen a human. I must confess, I thought your kind extinct."

For a moment, Finn saw Susan Strong's face. He felt the area under her kitty hat. Felt her smooth, gill-less neck. His stomach twisted in a knot.

"We are," said Finn after a brief pause. "I'm the last one. My name is Finn."

"It is an honor to meet you, Finn the Human," said Celestia kindly, bowing low.

"Princess, what's happened to you?" asked Twilight, noticing that the princess's crown and regalia were missing as well. "Where's the Luna? Do you know why she turned again?"

The princess averted her gaze from Twilight. She looked embarrassed and a little ashamed, much to Twilight's confusion.

"The monster that is both Nightmare Moon and the Lich has been using me as a power source. When it ran out of pure death to live off of in the surrounding area, it began sustaining itself on my own cosmic power. As for Luna…" she paused, glancing around, her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Well… the creature isn't her. More than just an alter ego of my sister, Nightmare Moon is a sentient entity that can possess any pony whose heart festers with enough negative emotion and disharmony. And… it's not her this time," finished the princess hurriedly.

"If Princess Luna isn't Nightmare Moon," began Twilight, bewildered, "then where is she? Surely she could help-"

"I was confused ok?" blurted out Princess Celestia. "I heard that Nightmare Moon was on a murderous rampage and I wasn't thinking so I instinctively turned to Luna and sort of… well… sent her to the moon?" She grinned feebly. "My bad?"

"You sent Luna back to the moon!" cried Twilight in horror, backing away slightly.

"Kinda?" shrugged the princess.

"What do you mean, 'kinda'? Is she going to be trapped on the moon for another thousand years?" asked Twilight, hysterical now.

"What? No! Of course not! I can bring her back once I'm at full power again. I'm mean she'll be pretty pissed off but, she'll be-"

The princess did not finish explaining what exactly Luna would be when she returned.

A spiraling jet of emerald flames exploded through the air, striking Celestia directly in the temple, causing her to fly into the alabaster wall at the far end of the room, shattering part of the marble with her skull. The princess crumpled into an unconscious heap.

"TWILIGHT," roared a voice that felt to Twilight as through it was carving every syllable into her eardrums with a knife.

Instinctively, Finn stepped in front of Twilight, readying himself, his sword held out in front of him, but beyond him Twilight could see, standing atop what was unmistakably a large mound of skulls, the grotesque figure of the beast that had destroyed Ponyville.

Before them stood the Nightmare Lich.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Oh lawdy is that some Final Boss? If you want a lil bit more, you can take heart in that the fight here will be a long one, meaning multiple chapters, so it's not quite over yet. My estimate is about 5 more chapters until the very end. Most of those are already written, too, so, it won't be long now. Thanks to all who have stuck with this story up to this point. Also I'd like to point out that the Adventure Time story <em>The Last Human_ by author _Ruby Sword_ is now reaching it's end. That story is what made me believe in good fan fiction and it goes without saying that Adventure is Magic would never have happened is not for him/her/Ruby Sword. It's here on fanfiction dot net, so if I were you, I'd check it out. Like, now. Seriously, go._**

**_Next Time: Welcome To My Nightmare_**


	13. Chapter 12: Behemoth

**Author's Note:**  
><strong>Ok. Where to start... I guess I'll start with this: a huge, huge, HUGE apology. I am so, SO sorry for disappearing. Frankly and simply, my life fell apart. I could not, to any extent, finish this story and thus I've been gone for over a year. To everyone who bothered to stick around, please, PLEASE accept my apology. I will be updating this story now on a regular, possibly constant basis until it is finished. You're all the best and expect to hear more from me soon.<strong>  
><strong>-Blastronaut<strong>

**Chapter 12: Behemoth **

Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity sat in a dark dank cell at the very end of the dungeon. Applejack's hat was gone but she otherwise seemed relatively unharmed, save for a few scrapes and bruises. She was staring at the corner, silent tears streaming down her face. Pinkie Pie seemed her usual self, playing with an ancient skull she had found in the cell. Rarity looked the worst of all. She was covered in cuts and large dark bruises. Small patches of her coat seemed to have been burned off here and there and her tangled mane was a mess. She seemed to be sporting a cut lip as well, as thin trail of dried blood ran from her mouth down her neck. She was also the first to notice the rescue party.

"Rainbow Dash? _Spike?_" gasped Rarity from behind the bars of the cell. "You're alive, oh thank heavens."

"Applejack!" screamed Bloom, running at the cell.

"Apple Bloom, you're alive! Oh my god, you're ok!" Tears were pouring down Applejack's orange cheeks. "I never thought I'd see you again," she cried.

"Did Big Mac make it out too?" asked Applejack.

"I… I haven't seen him," answered Apple Bloom, teary-eyed at the thought.

"Pinkie?" called Dash urgently. "Where's Pinkie Pie?"

"Present!" declared Pinkie Pie cheerfully as though she were in school announcing her attendance. Dash sighed in relief.

"Oooh!" squealed Pinkie Pie delightedly. "Is that a dog?"

"Hi guys," said Jake. "I'm Jake. It'll take me a minute or two but I'm gonna get you all outta there."

Jake began configuring his hand into different sizes and shapes of keys, trying one after the other on the cell lock.

Suddenly, Spike gasped in horror.

Rarity's horn was gone; snapped clean off by the looks of it, leaving only a jagged and bloody stump.

"It's positively awful," began Rarity. "That awful beast broke off my lovely, lovely horn. Hurt quite a tad as well."

"You shoulda seen her," said Applejack. "I've never seen anyone fight the way our girl Rare did. The thing only took her horn because she stabbed 'em with it so many times. So much for Missy Prissy, right?"

"You flatter me Applejack, but seriously, I look dreadful. I haven't even been able to comb my mane in days and it's so impossible now that I can't even use it to hide this ugly mess on my forehead. And I don't even want to know how many split ends I have."

"Well alright," admitted Applejack, "she's still prissy, but she made me right proud, the fightin' she did. Little bit of that there blood on her coat ain't even hers."

"Wait," said Spike, confused. "If you're all here, where's Fluttershy?"

It was impossible.

Finn tasted blood in his mouth as he bounced limply off the marble support pillar hit the floor again.

_Impossible._

Finn scrambled weakly to his feet and looked up just in time to see the torrent of sickly green flame descend on him and roll out of the way, feeling the heat of the flames centimeters from his flesh.

**_Impossible._** He could not shake that word from his mind. Impossible. It was impossible to defeat the horror that was practically slaughtering him and the unicorn Twilight Sparkle. It was impossible save Equestria. It was impossible to survive.

Impossible.

The protective magical bubble surrounding Twilight shattered like glass as the Nightmare Lich blasted it apart with a fireball of deathly energy. She knew this couldn't go on for much longer. Not without the Elements of Harmony.

They were going to die.

Twilight was nauseous at the realization. The faces of her friends began to flash into her mind. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. She saw the faces of her brother, Shining Armor, of her parents, of Spike.

The black monster charged, throwing it's twisting horns under her and flipped her into the air. She fell with a crash through a grand mahogany table. Twilight vaguely remembered it as the table she sat at to do homework when she studied under Princess Celestia.

The beast towered over her, it's eyes aflame with green. Twilight, trembling, closed her eyes and braced for the final blow.

"TWIIILLLLIGHT," roared the Nightmare Lich.

She opened her eyes and looked up. What was happening?

"NNNNNNOOOOOO I DOOONNTTT-" shrieked the creature, backing away slowly.

Finn approached Twilight slowly and helped her to her hooves. The two looked on in utter confusion.

"YYYYAA... VVVVMMMEEEE... HHLLPP."

The beast seemed to be having some sort of seizure. It twitched and bellowed, writhing and screaming.

"LLLLOOOVVVVVVE MMMEE... YYYOUURRR... VVMMEEE."

The monster seemed to be physically shifting, changing. It's skin was lightening slightly, it's empty sockets filling with shimmering pools of blue.

Finn grabbed Twilight.

"Now!" He yelled. "This could be our only chance!"

Twilight closed her eyes. The faces of other five Element Bearers filled her mind.

Something inside Twilight turned on. She was filled with a warm surge of power she'd never felt before. She opened her eyes and with every ounce of her will, focused the strange, warm energy she felt through her horn into a beam of magical energy shimmering with every color she could possibly imagine. The brilliant ray of colorful light struck the Nightmare Lich in it's heaving chest, causing it to let out a shriek that literally shattered the stained glass windows of the library. The beam reverberated through the creature and the blackness and flame adorning the beast was blasted away all at once.

As suddenly as the dazzling display of light had erupted, it had faded away.

However, there was something new standing on shaking hooves where there the Nightmare Lich had just stood.

Something with a sunshine yellow coat and a long wavy mane that was a gentle shade of pink.

"I... Twilight..."

Twilight's heart seemed to stop.

"...Fluttershy?"


	14. Chapter 13: Denouement

**Chapter 12: Behemoth **

Twilight's head was suddenly very light. Nothing made sense.

"F-Fluttershy?" she stammered.

"Twilight, I can't… I have to… oh Celestia…" the yellow pegasus struggled, tears filling her eyes.

"You were the Nightmare Lich," said Twilight, as though stating that it might rain.

"Nightmare Moon is a parasitic entity made of negative emotions," Fluttershy started. She was sobbing, struggling to explain herself. "It had been a bad couple months and I felt like no one wanted to talk to me anymore and it prays on feelings of jealousy or remorse and can possess anyone who-"

"Fluttershy, all those ponies. Our friends,"

"And then something else latched on too. It was attached to the destructive power. This evil force. And between the two of them, they were too strong, I couldn't fight them. I-I could see everything though, I watched myself do those things, I- I killed so many-"

"Ponyville… Ponyville's dead." Said Twilight. "Our home is-"

The blackened remnants that hard been torn from Fluttershy's body, suddenly erupted with green flame, cutting her off. The dark shreds of putrescence began to move, slowly fusing, building together.

"GAK! This isn't over yet!" screamed Finn, readying his sword.

Twilight's attention had been momentarily stolen and when the unicorn turned back to the pegasus, she had gone. Twilight managed to catch a fleeting glimpse out the shattered window of a blur of yellow soaring out, away from the castle.

The blackness rose high, sprouting skeletal arms and a putrid, horned head.

"No. Oh Glob, No." gasped Finn.

Before him stood the titanic figure of the evilest being to ever walk Ooo.

The Lich.

Finn shrieked and dove at the skeletal monster. He swung his sword down hard, digging it deep into the Lich's shoulder. The Lich let out a horrible laugh as Finn yank free his blade and backhanded the human. Finn flew several dozen feet through the air and collided with a bookcase near the front of the library. He did not move.

"No!" cried Twilight, firing a bolt of purple light at the Lich, who took the attack full in the face, laughing still.

The Lich fired a jet of green flame at Twilight, who leapt out of the way, but landed wrong, painfully twisted her right foreleg, causing her to cry out in pain.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Fluttershy," Twilight growled.

Twilight attempted to get up, but her twisted foreleg gave way and she fell back down. She landed painfully on her chin.

"**YOU ARE A JOKE TO ME, TWILIGHT,**" roared the Lich in fury, his claws engulfed in pale green flame.

"Hey!"

The Lich turned to see, on the far end of the hall, Finn, his sword drawn, sitting atop Rainbow Dash. Jake was stretched into a giant slingshot, with Dash and Finn as his payload aimed directly at the Lich's head. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Spike, supporting Rarity stood behind them. Finn was grinning.

"Get away from her, you Lich."

Jake released Dash who accelerated as fast as she could, reducing her and Finn to colorful blur. There was a thunderous explosion as a wave of multicolored light rippled through the air.

There was a sound, something between a slice and a crunch. The Lich's head hit the ground and burst, then with his entire body, erupted into green flames.

Having put on a little too much speed, Dash and Finn crashed into the opposite wall, bounced roughly off and landed on the palace floor. They got up, relatively unharmed.

"Did we do it?" asked Dash, slightly dazed.

Finn reached his hand under his hat, scratching his head.

"I… _think _we-" he began, but he did not finish.

He had noticed something. Though smaller now, the pale green flames of the Lich had not subsided. In fact they were moving towards him.

Before he knew it, they had engulfed him. When the flames subsided, Finn's arms swung by themselves, so that his sword was at the downed Twilight's neck.

"Finn...?"

" **KILL THE UNICORN, FINN**," boomed a deep voice that only Finn could hear.

_"N-no..."_ struggled Finn.

"Finn, fight it, please," begged Twilight. She stared into his eyes. They were not blue now, but small green dots in deep pools of black.

The other ponies, Spike and Jake watched on, none daring to make a move towards Finn or Twilight.

"You can beat this Brother," whispered Jake.

"**YOU HAVE NO SWEATER TO PROTECT YOU NOW, FINN**."

_"M- my heart is my sweater!"_ shouted Finn to the Lich.

Suddenly, Finn's blade was no longer pointed at Twilight, but pressed against his own throat.

"**THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE, FINN. KILL YOURSELF**."

_"No."_

"**KILL YOURSELF**."

" _I... don't... WANNA!"_

"**YOU HAVE TO, FINN. KILL YOURSELF NOW**."

"_NO, YOU!" _

There was something between a roar and a scream that was not Finn's own and his body writhed. The green and black left his eyes. Finn dropped his sword and collapsed.

Everything was dark.


End file.
